There it is

I'm takin' it back to the old school

'Cause I'm an old fool who's so cool

If you wanna get down, I'mma show you the way

Whoomp, there it is! 

In 1993 there was this rap controversy. 95 South released their Miami bass styled Whoot there it is and then a few weeks later Tag Team released Whoomp there it is. Both songs were hits, although Tag Team went to #1 while 95 South stalled just outside the top 10 on the Hot 100. Most people I knew liked both songs but you had to have an opinion, which one did you like more. It was cooler to like 95 South's but I always enjoyed Tag Team's more. That early to mid 90s period was the best of times and the worst of times with hip hop, at least for me. Many of my favorite hip hop records ever came out during that time but this was also when hip hop turned me off. By 96/97 I wasn't listening to hip hop that much as that bitches and money era just didn't do it for me. I hated Diddy and most everything associated with him, save for Biggie but he was gone so fast. I was never really into Jay Z. The No Limit stuff and most southern rap didn't interest me and I had always had a love/hate relationship with west coast hip hop. For 15 years I loved hip hop but I wasn't thrilled with the direction it was going in. 

In hindsight I should have seen it coming with the Tag Team/95 South deal. Tag Team's song was more polished and reminiscent of the party hip hop that came before it. It was fun and while there was some talk of the booty, it wasn't too sexual or explicit. The 95 South track had that Miami bass sound so it immediately conjured images of Luke and 2 Live Crew. Their video was just asses popping for 4 minutes. It wasn't as well produced or clean as Tag Team's song. Even though I was a teenage boy, there could be too much sexuality in music for me back then, even moreso now. Usually I go for the raw, less produced sound but not in this case. While Tag Team reminded me about the fun times we had in hip hop, 95 South gave me a look at what was to come and I don't think I cared for it despite the solid samples and beats. 

So now 30 years later I am proud to declare my old ass as pro-Tag Team even more now than I was then. Which song did you like better? Were you Team Whoot or Team Whoomp?